November 21, 2008

Ministry to assure importers on safety of Malaysian biscuits

Star: MALACCA: The Health Ministry will send its officers overseas to help restore confidence in locally-manufactured biscuits with the help of the International Trade and Industry Ministry.
Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the officers would brief concerned parties on the measures the Government had taken to produce melamine-free biscuits.
The move was important be­­cause Malaysian biscuits were exported to more than 50 countries, he said.
He added that 70% of Brunei’s im­ported biscuits were from Ma­­laysia.
Speaking to reporters here after signing a joint statement in conjunction with the fourth bilateral Health Ministers meeting between Malaysia and Brunei yesterday, he noted that the source of recent traces of melamine in some 12,000kg of locally-produced biscuits in Seberang Prai was from imported ammonium bicarbonate.
But the problem has since been resolved, he said, assuring that locally-made biscuits were safe for consumption.